“Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, 79, has died during a hunting vacation in Texas.

Scalia was the leading conservative voice on the court, and his death will set off a mammoth fight over who should replace him in the heat of a presidential election cycle.

Replacing Scalia with a liberal justice could change the balance of the court under Chief Justice John Roberts.

There is likely to be significant pressure on the Senate, which is in Republican hands, to hold off on confirming anyone nominated by President Obama, who is in his last year in office.

Two local news outlets first reported the news of Scalia’s death, which the San Antonio News and KVIA said was from natural causes. Texas Gov. Greg Abbot released a statement calling the conservative justice an “unwavering defender” of the Constitution.”